When quarantine first started, people had an overwhelming amount of free time to spend. However, this free time brought a great sense of boredom. Many people were living the same day over and over again and were longing for a sense of change in their everyday lives. A popular solution for this was adopting a new pet. This gave people something new in their lives and has given many animals a great new home. 

Over the course of quarantine, people have taken up many different hobbies and projects, including adopting a new pet. People have opened their homes to new pets to provide company over quarantine. Compared to last year, there has been a 70% increase in adoptions of animals throughout the country (humanesociety.org). There has also been a spike of volunteers at shelters from people who want to spend their free time helping and caring for these yet to be adopted animals. 

Animals throughout the country have been saved by these people and have been brought into hopefully forever homes. Many animals at shelters unfortunately would be put down if they were not adopted by a certain time, and quarantine has been crucial to many of the lives of these new pets. Now, instead of sitting in a shelter all day with the hopes of finding an owner, these animals are receiving love and care in their new homes. An example of this in our school would be science teacher Mr. Hipwell, who adopted a new dog over quarantine. Mr. Hipwell (staff) said that [his] new dog has “definitely helped with feeling bored during downtimes”. [He] also said that “this was the first pet that my wife and I have had together, so that was a new experience and it’s been fantastic. Thor brings us so much joy and he is so sweet”. 

However, animals are not the only ones benefiting from adoption. They have also helped their owners in different ways as well. During quarantine, many people went through various emotions, including a loss of purpose. With so much free time and some not being able to work, people began to wonder what there is left to do. However, with the addition of a pet, people have begun to feel a purpose again, having to care for the well being of the animals with jobs like feeding them, taking them for walks, and giving them love. Animals have also helped people during quarantine with things like anxiety. Having someone to provide comfort has helped many people over quarantine calm down from anxiety or panic attacks. 

Quarantine might not have been the best thing to happen to 2020, but there is always a positive outlook on every situation. With so much spare time, people decided to have an addition to their life and adopt a pet. With adoption rates increasing, fewer and fewer animals are left in shelters, and instead are enjoying life in their new home. Both animals and their owners have benefited from each other, making 2020 a better year than some might think.